Kauffman Index Shows Most States See Resurgence of Startup Activity
Startup activity bounced upward in thirty-two U.S. states last year according to the 2015 Kauffman Index: Startup Activity. New business creation also rose in eighteen of the nation’s top forty metropolitan areas, with startup activity largely clustered in western and southern cities. The Kauffman Foundation’s release of state and metropolitan numbers follows last week’s report on national business creation data.Learn More

Kauffman Index Graphics Map State and Metro Startup Trends
Interactive graphics based on the findings of the 2015 Kauffman Index: Startup Activity offer dynamic views of multiple indicators of startup activity on state and metropolitan levels. While startup activity tended to be highest in the western and southern states overall, the five states that ranked at the top of the 2015 Index were Montana, Wyoming, North Dakota, Colorado, and Vermont. The top ten metros, in order, centered on the cities of: Austin, Texas; Miami, Fla.; San Jose, Calif.; Los Angeles; Denver; San Francisco; New York; Houston; San Diego; and San Antonio, Texas.Go to the State and Metro Index Graphics Package

Debt Dominates Entrepreneurial Funding
The Kauffman Foundation explores entrepreneurs’ funding sources and policy recommendations for promising programs in a new Entrepreneurship Policy Digest released this week. The Policy Digest states debt is the most common source of financing for new businesses, with about 40 percent of a business’ initial startup capital coming from bank-financed debt. Equity is a less common form of initial funding, according to the Digest, with less than 3 percent of new firms funded by angel investors and less than 1 percent funded by venture capitalists.Learn More